Public Safety

While most Brunswick Community College students were gearing up for school—locating classrooms, buying books, meeting their professors—BCC freshman Aaron Baker spent the night before the first day of class, and three nights after that, in jail.

Charged with second-degree rape on Aug. 15, and under a $100,000 secured bond, Baker’s classmates began the next chapter of their scholastic lives while he sat in jail for four nights before being cleared of the charge.

Ritchie L. Carson, 46, of 555 Gilbert Road, Bolivia, has been sentenced to a minimum of 90 months and a maximum of 117 months in the N.C. Department of Corrections and ordered to pay a $100,000 fine for trafficking by possession and transportation of the prescription pain medication oxycodone.

On Aug. 6, a window was reported broken on a front-end loader belonging to East Coast Contractor. Deputy chief Steve Smith said someone took a bar or similar object to break the window on the machine that’s being used to install sewer line at Oyster Bay.

Damage to personal property also was reported Aug. 6 to a mailbox on Shoreline Drive East.

A reward is being offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspect or suspects who stole a hydraulic lift system off a yacht near Holden Beach.

Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office Detective Ed Carter said a $20,000 hydraulic lift system was stolen off a 36-foot yacht in dry dock storage at Hewett’s Marina on B-Var Street in Supply sometime between July 30 and Aug. 4.

In addition to the lift system, the suspect or suspects stole about 50 linear feet of steel railing.

A joint operation with Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office Drug Enforcement Unit, Aggressive Criminal Enforcement (ACE) Team and K-9 Enforcement Unit led to multiple arrests last week.

According to Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Sgt. April Stanley, a traffic stop Aug. 7 at the Go Gas in Southport led to the seizure of 75 grams of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and more than $2,100 in cash.